6 Tips to Exploring the Best Childcare that Fits Your Needs
Selecting a caregiver for your child is one of the most important decisions many families will make. Whether you need childcare because you are returning to work, craving some time to yourself, or spending time with your significant other, you will want to find the ideal caretaker for your child. Below are a few tips to help you navigate the childcare search:
Choose the path that best suits your family’s needs
Many childcare possibilities exist for you to consider, and of course, there are pluses and minuses to each until you find the right fit. Remember that you are in the driver’s seat and can choose the path that best suits your family’s needs—hiring a caregiver or picking a daycare to look after your child is a very personal decision. Every family has its own dynamics and unique views on parenting. Feel secure and confident in your child-rearing choices.
Be patient
Take your time with the childcare search. Finding the ideal person or daycare to care for your little one will take time and patience. It is important to be prepared and detailed in your search. Also, discovering the ideal caretaker, nursery, or daycare for your child requires some research.
Psst…New COVID-19 Variants: What Parents Need to Know as Kids Head Back to School
Lay groundwork
Laying the foundation for building the ideal childcare situation is critical.
Formulating a clear description of your childcare needs now will save you future frustration. You can zero in on exactly what type of situation you need to ensure your household runs smoothly and happily.
The ideal or “perfect” childcare situation depends on you and how specific you are in recognizing and expressing your needs and how your family spends its time. It is important that before you start your childcare search, you set aside time to sit down and ponder or list your needs.
Try to interview a childcare candidate or go on a daycare/preschool tour; most daycares set time aside for new families to check out their spaces, as they also want you to be a good fit in their classrooms.
Be reasonable
Be aware of what assistance you are asking for, and make sure it is reasonable. To put it bluntly, if you are not willing or able to do it all, then your childcare provider should not be expected to either.
Childcare providers are not superheroes. They are humans who have strengths, weaknesses, and feelings, just like you.
Understand that your childcare situation will evolve
As your child or family dynamics change, your childcare needs will change. These childcare needs will constantly evolve as your child blossoms through the stages of life. It is essential to realize that you are not pigeonholed into the first childcare situation you created at a specific time.
A situation that works for your newborn child will likely need to be scrapped, tweaked, or revised as your child starts school. You may have to realize that expecting the unexpected and being nimble is crucial to formulating the right childcare situation at any given time.
Go with your gut
You may luck out and hire the first nanny or enroll at the first daycare you visit. Everyone has a different experience, but when dedicated to the childcare search, always go with your gut and trust your instincts.
New York-based working mother Kristen Duca and her husband are the parents of two girls. She is the author of “Ultimate Nanny: How to Find, Interview, and Manage the Most Important Person You Will Ever Hire – Your Child’s Nanny,” available on amazon.com now.
Local option
109 Nassau Ave,
Greenpoint-Brooklyn, NY
718-389-9004
ABC is a family-owned and operated daycare center in North Brooklyn that has been helping children thrive since 1993. The program offers a variety of age-appropriate activities for children from 3 months to 4 years of age that are designed to stimulate their minds, bodies,and creativity. ABC believes that every child is unique and deserves to be celebrated, and they create a nurturing environment where children feel safe to take risks, explore their interests, and build confidence.
